Klaus gently nudged the sleeping Maya to one side and withdrew his arm from beneath her head. He rose and walked slowly out of the tent, barefoot.
Outside the tent, the dark sky was filled with stars, and the other trolls were gathered around a campfire in the grass, where Rand sat among a few female trolls, drinking and laughing with them.
Klaus had no intention of joining their revelry. His body was sticky and smelled of Maya's pleasures, and he needed to find a place to bathe.
So, Klaus skirted the reveling trolls and made his way to a small river at the back of the valley, illuminated by the stars and moon.
Klaus stripped off his leather pants and plunged into the river, the cold water soaking his body. Klaus relaxed and lay flat on his back, as the running water gently carried his body along the surface of the river.
He opened his eyes and looked up at the starry sky, marveling at how peaceful the moment was, with the gentle night breeze brushing his wet cheeks.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. He wanted to check on his current status. So, the panel naturally appeared, and he saw a new change in the data displayed above it.
[Race: Troll]
[Rank: 1/3]
[Name: Klaus]
[Skill 1: Spear Throwing]
[Skill 2: Transformation]
[Battle Value: 60/100]
[Strength Value: 65/100]
[Agility: 60/100]
[Stamina: 40/100]
[Luck Value: 5/100]
[Killing Count Statistics: 7]
"Why is there a new section for the number of kill stats?" Klaus muttered to himself. "Could it be that killing people boosts the overall stats just as much as hunting magical beasts?"
As Klaus stared at the number 7 on the panel, images of him fighting Snake Man in the Endless Forest popped into his mind. It all flashed through his eyes like a movie replay, and he saw himself in the picture wielding a spear to slash Snake Man. Those Snake Men who were pierced through the chest fell to the ground covered in blood, and some of them even had their heads directly crushed by him.
If in the past he would have felt uncomfortable at the sight of such a bloody picture, now he looked perfectly calm in the presence of such murderous scenes. At that moment, he realized that he had changed. It was the system that had changed him.
At first, he had not dared to face the black serpents, who were stronger than he. He wanted to run away, but the system was pushing him every step of the way. So, he had to face the Black Iron Snake, and in the end, he won. From that time, he was no longer afraid, but brave, when he faced stronger opponents.
Klaus was haunted by both human and troll consciousness. He knew he should not think like a human being just because he existed in the world, but he felt conflicted.
"Is it really right to kill to stay alive?" Klaus wrestled with the thought. "Maybe it's all just a game and this isn't real at all."
He knew that he was lying to himself, for the smell of blood and the stiffness of the body were not imaginary, although the pleasurable sensation of making love to Maya was real.
Klaus swam to the bank, where he looked at his reflection in the river. Klaus did not look much different from other trolls, with his big nose, thick lips, brown hair, and muscular frame.
Klaus examined his physique in the water; he was stronger than he had ever been as a human, and he had to admit that he enjoyed being strong.
When he was a human, he was just an average fast-food waiter. His body was emaciated from staying up late and eating unhealthy food, and his routine was dreary and purposeless.
The one thing he remembers that made him feel brave was his participation in a march against the recall of a member of parliament. But that incident ended with him, like the other protesters, being taken to a police station because of a confrontation between the protesters and police.
Since then, his will to be brave has eroded,while at the same time he has learned that ordinary people are simply not strong enough to stand up to power.It is clear that most of the suffering is caused bythose in power, and that it is often the common man at the bottom who suffers.
He had put up with it until cancer consumed him, and he did not realize how pathetic his former life had been until the moment of his death.
"It was the system that gave me the chance to change myself," Klaus said to his reflection. "I will become stronger."
Klaus heard footsteps behind him and closed the system panel. He turned his head to see Rand straddling a busty female troll onto the grass. As Rand pushed the female troll onto the grass and prepared to have sex with her, he inadvertently saw Klaus sitting on the bank.
"Klaus, why are you here?" Rand half-squinted at Klaus.
"I was just taking a shower," Klaus said as he prepared to get up, not wanting to spoil Rand's fun with the troll girl.
"Dude, I have something to say to you." Rand slapped the fat ass of the female troll and told her to go ahead.
The female troll rolls her eyes at Rand and departs disgruntled.
"You just let her go?" Klaus snickered, "You didn't have to do that for me."
"She's just a slut." Rand came over to Klaus with a puff of alcohol on his breath, "But you're my brother."
"What are you trying to say to me, bro?" Klaus asks.
"Hey, listen." Rand puts his hand on Klaus' shoulder, "Abel is dead and now the tribe needs a new patriarch. If I were to run for patriarch, you'd support me, right?"
"Of course." Klaus said, "Is that why you're talking to me?"
"Tell me, brother, do you want to be clan leader or not?" Rand asked, staring into Klaus' eyes.
"I have no plans to do that right now."
Klaus knew full well that it was not a simple matter to become chief of the Troll Clan. Although becoming a troll patriarch is a prerequisite to becoming a continental lord, he feared that at the moment, he did not have the qualifications.
The patriarch of the trolls was not only the strongest man in the tribe, but he also had to possess abundant hunting experience and sufficient intelligence. The leader of the trolls was usually decided upon after much deliberation by the elders and wizards of the tribe.
Even though Klaus would have loved to become a troll patriarch, he wasn't ready to reveal that aspiration just yet.
"Although you killed the Black Iron Snake alone, you are inexperienced in hunting," Rand said somewhat smugly. "But don't worry, as long as you support me to become the clan leader, I will pass on more hunting experience to you."
"I can't wait," Klaus said hypocritically.
Rand smiled contentedly.
"Let's go have a drink," he said.
"No, I'm going to the blacksmith's," Klaus declined Rand's offer.
"What are you going to the blacksmith for?" Rand asked in confusion.
"I need a customized collar," Klaus smiled. "For my slave."